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Diapycnal Mixing Induced by Rough Small-Scale Bathymetry
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  • Julia Christin Muchowski,
  • Lars Arneborg,
  • Lars Umlauf,
  • Peter Ludwig Holtermann,
  • Ezra Eisbrenner,
  • Christoph Humborg,
  • Martin Jakobsson,
  • Christian Stranne
Julia Christin Muchowski
Stockholm University

Corresponding Author:julia.muchowski@geo.su.se

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Lars Arneborg
Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute
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Lars Umlauf
Leibniz-Institute for Baltic Sea Research (IOW)
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Peter Ludwig Holtermann
Leibniz-Institute for Baltic Sea Research (IOW)
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Ezra Eisbrenner
Department of Meteorology, Stockholm University
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Christoph Humborg
Department of Environmental Science and Analytical Chemistry, Stockholm University
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Martin Jakobsson
Department of Geological Sciences, Stockholm University
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Christian Stranne
Stockholm University
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Abstract

We investigate the effect of extremely rough bathymetry on energy dissipation and mixing in a coastal region characterized by small-scale seafloor features penetrating a strongly-stratified density interface of comparable vertical scale. Our data from the non-tidal Baltic Sea include shear microstructure measurements and observations from a broadband echosounder, here used to resolve the extreme variability and intermittency of stratified turbulence in the vicinity of obstacles. Scale analysis and acoustic imaging of small-scale turbulent motions suggest that the underlying mixing mechanisms are related to topographic wake eddies and, to a smaller extent, to breaking internal waves near the bathymetric features. Vertical diffusivities exceed those at a nearby reference station with smooth bathymetry by up to two orders of magnitude. Our study emphasizes the importance of rough small-scale (< 1 km) bathymetric features for energy dissipation and vertical turbulent transport in coastal areas shaped by e.g., glacial, tectonic, or volcanic processes.